Dan and Mel // Earlando

Whitsunday Wedding Suppliers

Venue: Earlando
Hair & Makeup: Airlie Beach Hair & Makeup
Florist: Flower Hut
Photographer: Tropix Photography
Celebrant: I Do Whitsunday Weddings 
Décor: Azure Whitsunday Weddings & Events
Entertainment: Breeze Duo
Caterer: Fish D’vine
Accommodation: Mantra Boathouse Apartments
Pre and Post Wedding Activities: Post-wedding wind-down at Northerlies

Your Love Story

Although we would love people to believe our preferred story – which is basically any other story than the actual… our devious mothers plotted to get their very stubborn, very single and (apparently) very well suited children together and we are (just quietly) ridiculously thankful for their devious ways.

We were both fed different lines before we met-up, which in hindsight, led to some funny/awkward situations. We hung out on a friends level for a few months and well, I guest there was no denying that we were going to be peas and carrots for life!!

The Proposal

5 years later, Dan and I were having a pretty regular Saturday night at home, admiring the view and enjoying some drinks when next minute Dan bolts off into the house.. returns carrying something in his outstretched hands that I could not see. After much confusion I had the eventual realisation that he was holding a gorgeous yellow sapphire (a family tradition) “Is this you proposing?”, “Yeah, I want you to be my wife?!”… romance is not a strength for either of us so this is a very classic “Dan & Mel” kind of story haha. 

Honeymoon Heaven

We honeymooned on Hamilton Island the week after the wedding and it was amazing! We very much enjoy the simple things in life, so the gorgeous scenery, weather and relaxation on offer in the Whitsundays was our idea of bliss! 

Hens & Bucks

 The hens night was a weekend by the beach earlier in the year with some of my closest friends and we celebrated in our usual fashion – great company, great food, many beverages and lots of laughs!

The boys celebrated the month before the wedding with a pub crawl by the beach and then camping/sleeping wherever they managed to land at our place.. haha good times!!

Splurge Vs Save

We made a very conscious decision quite some time ago to have the wedding that we wanted, as we are both pretty low-key and not into too much fuss – this worked out really well for us and meant that we did not have to spend a fortune to get what was our perfect day.

I wouldn’t say that we “splurged” as such, but we did have a few priorities: good (and plentiful) food, a generous and varied bar tab and of course, excellent entertainment (The Breeze Duo suited our eclectic taste in music beautifully!). We were able to save money by having simple and minimal decorations, preferring to allow the stunning surrounds to be the main feature and utilising what we had at our disposal like the gorgeous bouquets becoming decorative pieces at the reception as well. Our cake was probably another area where we saved a fair amount without having to compromise the look or taste. We elected to purchase a two-tiered, iced white mud cake and decorated ourselves (personalised wedding topper and some fake flowers – simple but effective!). 

Whitsunday Wedding Venue

We were not actually looking to have a destination wedding but with a specific setting in mind, we decided to do some exploring of our favourite place – The Whitsundays. Very little effort was required for us to decide on Earlando. It provided everything that we were looking for: a stunningly private beach/country location, that was reasonable (for most) of our guests to attend, with an affordable, stress-free package that suited our tastes. 

Wedding Day Vision

There was no particular theme/styling inspiration but maybe relaxed/rustic would be a good description!?! We figured that the location was spectacular enough and did not want, or need to detract from that. So candles, flowers, timber, glass jars, cushions and a few personalised touches on the gift table as well as fairy lights was as invested as we needed to be for the decor. 

As for the styling of the bridal party, we were looking for classically simple, comfort and something that worked for different shapes and tastes, with a slight point of difference where possible. 

The gifts on offer to our guests were: personalised key chain; bottle openers; personalised coolers and/or; handmade soaps and bath bombs.

Sit Down or Cocktail?

Having a cocktail style wedding meant that we were able to get away with minimal and subtle decorations, that were incredibly easy and relatively inexpensive to provide ourselves. The look we were going for was easy to achieve and not requiring specific direction as to placement etc meaning our planners/venue coordinators were able to decorate on our behalf! 

Funniest Moment

There were a few classic moments throughout the day as I would tend to say there generally is! It started with all of the bridesmaids requiring a pit stop just prior to arriving at the ceremony – I thought it would have been me for sure, but I was ok for once?!?! We were parked just before the hill to enter the ceremony and let’s just say, we were extremely thankful that there were no late arrivals to witness what would have been a very interesting photo opportunity!!! Then there was our two young, rascally nephew’s being specifically instructed by their parent’s to “stay out of the water” as we were preparing for family photos – so you can imagine what they did haha And last, but definitely not least, our mother’s deciding to interrupt the speeches to do an impromptu toast to themselves for getting us together – entertainment plus! 

Remarkable Memories

It sounds a bit corny, but the whole day was so memorable. Looking at our wedding photos takes us straight back to all the emotions of the day! Neither of us will forget however, that moment where we got some time, just the two of us for the photo tour to just be still for a minute and absorb the moment together – it was quite surreal and pretty amazing.  

Special Thanks & Supplier Shout Outs

Big thanks go to our guests for making the effort to travel and share in our special day – the day was made that much more amazing having so many of our nearest and dearest there with us.

Also, a huge shout-out to Hannah, Ben and Seb at Earlando – as well as all of the other suppliers that worked with us to create what was perfection for us. We really could not have hoped or thought that our wedding journey would be that stress-free and easy – but it was and we are so incredibly thankful that was our experience!

Bride’s Wisdom

Firstly, do invest in a wedding planner – even if it is just for the actual day. We did not really give much thought to this before the service was part of our package. Now, after experiencing the service of a wedding planner we understand their value and acknowledge that our day would definitely not have been the same without them involved. It truly is a valuable and worthwhile service to consider, enabling the bride and groom the opportunity to fully enjoy the day rather than be partially (or totally) distracted/consumed by organisation and detail.

Lastly, do consciously make the effort to enjoy yourselves and absorb the experience – when people say that the day goes by so quickly, they aren’t lying!!!!! 


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